Chapter 142: Zhang Beihai intends to reveal, Natural Selection, Onward Four!

The sky did not stop.

The view slowly pulled back from Zhang Beihai's impassive face, and the timeline kept moving forward.

Three days after the assassination.

The scene switched to an ordinary military hospital ward.

White walls, white sheets, the air smelled of disinfectant.

An old man lay on the bed.

The ventilator rose and fell rhythmically, and the heart monitor's waveform grew weaker and slower.

Zhang Beihai pushed open the ward door and entered.

He still wore the Space Army uniform, collar buttoned neatly.

The old man turned his head.

That was Zhang Beihai's father.

An old soldier with a military background.

The old man's lips twitched, wanting to speak, but only a muffled sound escaped his throat.

Zhang Beihai hurried to the bedside, bent down, and brought his ear close.

The old man summoned his last strength and uttered two words.

"Think more."

Zhang Beihai took his father's hand.

That hand was withered and cold, knuckles protruding.

"What after thinking?"

The old man did not answer.

He gave a faint smile.

It was very faint.

Then he closed his eyes.

The heart monitor's waveform flattened into a straight line.

Zhang Beihai stood by the bedside for a long time.

He did not cry.

He let go of his father's hand, pulled the blanket up to cover the old man's shoulders.

Then he left the ward.

In the hallway, nurses and the on-call doctor rushed over.

Zhang Beihai stepped aside to let them through, without stopping.

Subtitles appeared on the sky.

【Zhang Beihai's father, a retired military officer.】

【He did not ask what his son had done.】

【He only said two words: "Think more."】

【Because he knew his son's path allowed no turning back.】

Dragon Ball World, King Kai's Planet.

Wukong squatted on the grass, chin resting on his hands.

"Does his father know he killed someone?"

Bi Ke was silent for a few seconds.

"I don't know, and it's not necessary. One look from an old soldier is enough."

"Why only say 'Think more'? Why not urge him to stop?"

Bi Ke did not answer. Jiewang, holding the teapot, replied:

"Because the old man knows his son is not an impulsive killer."

"He has considered every action. Thus the old man's only counsel is to keep thinking, never stop."

Wukong scratched his head.

"I think this old man is also impressive."

"Nonsense." Bi Ke closed his eyes, "A tiger father begets no dog sons."

One Piece World, Ten Thousand Miles Sunshine.

Suo Long leaned on the mast, hand on his sword hilt.

"He killed three men, then turned to look at his dying father. His hand didn't tremble, his leg didn't give way."

Qiao Ba shrank to the side, voice soft: "He... he must be feeling awful."

Suo Long tilted his head: "Did you see him cry?"

"No."

"That means it's not yet time for him to feel distressed. He still has unfinished business."

Luobin turned a notebook page without looking up: "A true chess player doesn't look at the board after playing a move; he looks ahead."

Lu Fei chewed meat and muttered:

"This Zhang Beihai is unlike Old Grandfather Luo Ji."

"In what way is he different?" Na Mei asked.

Lu Fei thought, his words awkward but accurate:

"Old Grandfather Luo Ji confronts things head-on in the open. This one works from the shadows."

The heavenly canopy continued to advance.

Time leaped.

【Crisis Era Year 8. AD 2015.】

【The United Nations launched the 'Future Reinforcement' plan.】

In the image, a UN red-header document was enlarged by holographic projection.

The core content was marked in bold.

"Assuming hibernation technology is mature, select the finest officers from each branch to enter hibernation, and revive them on the eve of the Doomsday Battle to ensure the human fleet never lacks senior commanders with fighting spirit."

"Simply put: freeze the current elite and send them two hundred years later to fight."

Zhang Beihai submitted his hibernation application immediately.

Nobody objected.

In the Space Force, Zhang Beihai had long been synonymous with 'the most steadfast victory-ist.'

Young officers admired him, and the high command trusted him.

Sending him to the future made perfect sense.

Hibernation facility.

Zhang Beihai wore a patient gown and stood before the hibernation pod.

Around him were the other officers selected for the plan; some said farewell to their families, some were writing wills.

Zhang Beihai brought nothing.

He glanced at the sun outside the window, the twenty‑first‑century sun, warm and familiar.

Then he lay down into the hibernation pod.

The hatch slowly closed.

Liquid nitrogen was injected.

The temperature dropped.

In the image,

Zhang Beihai's facial muscles gradually lost elasticity, his breathing rate fell to zero, and his heartbeat disappeared.

His body turned into a cold sculpture, sealed in a glass coffin at minus 196 degrees.

Heavenly canopy subtitles surfaced.

【Zhang Beihai entered hibernation.】

【He would cross two hundred years of time and awaken on the eve of the Doomsday Battle.】

【Everyone thought he went to the future to lead humanity in a decisive battle against the Three‑Body.】

【Only he himself knew he went to the future to steal a ship.】

【Then, flee.】

Super Beast Armored World, Black Tortoise.

Huo Linfei stared blankly for a while before reacting.

"Wait, wait, he hibernated two hundred years just to wait for a fast enough starship? Then take off running?"

Tian Yu stood by the porthole, his tone as flat as a lake.

"He had planned his retreat two hundred years ago. Hibernation is merely a tool. He wants time, waiting for the day the non‑engineered material starship is built."

Huo Linfei counted on his fingers: "So he first assassinated the Engineering Faction's people to keep the tech line from deviating, then hibernated until the ship was ready, then stole the ship and fled with people?"

"Yes."

"This plan… spans two hundred years?"

Tian Yu said nothing more.

Miaotiaojun crouched in the corner, the chip box flipped upside down again, crumbs scattering everywhere.

"I just have one question."

"A two‑hundred‑year plan—if any link fails, his hibernation would be for nothing, right?"

Nobody answered.

Because the answer was too obvious.

Armor Warrior World.

Beimiao crossed his arms and stood by the window.

"Two hundred years."

"How confident must one be in one's judgment to dare stake two hundred years on a bet?"

"When he went to sleep, he didn't know what the world he'd wake up to would be like."

"He didn't know whether the non‑engineered material starship had actually been built."

"He didn't know whether the hibernation technology would malfunction and leave him unable to ever wake up."

Beimiao paused.

"But he still lay down."

"Because he had calculated it."

"He was betting that the tech's direction wouldn't be wrong, after all, anyone standing in his way had already been cleared out by him."

The heavenly canopy picture switched.

The time line leapt forward.

Two hundred years of time were compressed into a few seconds of fast‑forward in the image.

On Earth, cities sprang up and were then torn down and rebuilt.

In space, the space station grew from small to large, extending from low Earth orbit to around Jupiter.

Warships took shape in the space shipyard, growing larger in scale and increasing in number.

Then the image froze.

【Crisis Era 205 year. AD 2208.】

The hatch of the hibernation pod opened.

White cold air streamed out from the gap.

Zhang Beihai's body temperature slowly rose with the aid of medical equipment; his heartbeat and breathing recovered.

He opened his eyes.

The world two hundred years later unfolded before his retina.

Jupiter Orbital Base.

A massive military facility floated in space.

Looking out the observation window, thousands of star‑class warships were arrayed in the void, their hulls reflecting Jupiter's orange‑red light.

Data scrolled across the sky‑screen.

【Human Space Fleet: Asian Fleet, European Fleet, North American Fleet, totaling about 3000 star‑class warships.】

【Each warship is over 2 kilometers long and equipped with radiation‑driven engineless engines.】

【The strongest military force in human civilization's history.】

The scene switched to the news channel.

The host, smiling broadly and speaking excitedly, said: "The Trisolaran probe 'Droplet' is flying toward the Solar System! Experts analyze that the Trisolarans are very likely coming to seek peace talks!"

Another channel.

A navy admiral stood before the camera, hands on hips, voice arrogant: "Let the Trisolarans come! Our 3000 warships stand ready! If they send a droplet, we can crush it with a single finger!"

The comment section flooded:

"Humanity will win!"

"The Trisolarans are nothing special!"

"We are the masters of the universe!"

Zhang Beihai stood before the screen in the base corridor, watching these images frame by frame.

His expression did not change at all.

But the sky‑screen gave his current inner judgment in a single sentence:

【Humanity is collectively going mad.】

Cybertron

Optimus Prime looked at the sky‑screen showing the 3000 human warships in formation; his blue optical sensors quickly scanned the technical parameters.

"Megatron."

"Hmm."

"These warships' radiation‑driven engines are indeed engineless."

"But their armor, weapon systems, and communication protocols are all based on the physics locked down by the sophons."

Megatron leaned against the wall, his metal arms crossed.

"So?"

"So these 3000 warships, facing a civilization with unrestricted technology, are doomed to destruction—as we have already seen the droplet annihilate everything."

Marvel Universe, Avengers Tower.

Tony Stark pulled the holographic projection closer, carefully examining the warships' structural diagrams.

Tony leaned back on the sofa.

"3000."

"They look intimidating, but essentially they're just 3000 cardboard cars crashing head‑on into a tank."

"No wonder they were completely wiped out by a single droplet."

He paused, glanced at the expressionless face of Zhang Beihai on the sky‑screen.

"He saw it. He saw it two hundred years ago. That's why he fled."

"He wants to leave a seed for human civilization."

The sky‑screen continued.

Zhang Beihai was appointed executive captain of the Natural Selection.

The screen gave a panoramic view of that warship.

The two‑kilometer‑long hull resembled a city adrift in the star sea; the nozzle cluster of its radiation‑driven engines at the tail exceeded three hundred meters in diameter.

Zhang Beihai stepped onto the bridge of the Natural Selection for the first time.

He stood before the command console, gazing at the 360‑degree holographic star map surrounding him.

The officers on the bridge saluted him.

He returned each salute, wearing a perfectly appropriate smile.

Deputy Captain Dongfang Yanxu came forward to greet him.

A young female officer.

Short hair, military posture straight, her eyes held the blind optimism characteristic of the new era's soldiers.

"Commissioner Zhang, welcome aboard!"

Zhang Beihai nodded: "How is the Natural Selection doing?"

"Fully ready! Engine performance tests all passed; we can go into combat at any time!"

Dongfang Yanxu's tone was filled with excitement,

"To be frank, Commissar, we're all waiting for the day the Water Drop arrives."

"3000 warships, this lineup— the Trisolarans would shudder at the sight."

Zhang Beihai did not respond.

He walked to the porthole, watching the neatly arrayed fleet outside.

The engine nozzles of thousands of warships formed a sea of light against the dark starry sky.

"Dongfang."

"Here."

"How long does it take for the Natural Selection to reach cruising speed at full power?"

Dongfang Yanxu froze for a moment.

That question was strange— full power acceleration is the 'Advance Four' order, used only in life-or-death situations.

"In theory, maximum acceleration can be reached within thirty seconds."

"But the precondition is that the entire ship enters deep-sea status; otherwise the crew would… during acceleration."

"I understand."

Zhang Beihai interrupted her,

"Let's conduct a full-ship power test. Ensure we can react quickly in an emergency."

"Yes."

Dongfang Yanxu turned to arrange the test. She had no suspicions.

Zhang Beihai was "the most steadfast victory supremacist."

For a war preparedness advocate, requesting a full-ship power test is perfectly normal.

But the subtitles on the sky screen revealed the answer to the audience.

【Zhang Beihai, under the pretense of a power test, set the Natural Selection's navigation system to hot standby, ready to launch at any moment.】

【All parameters pointed to one target: outer space.】

【He was waiting for an opening.】

The sky screen image suddenly shifted.

Time had arrived on the eve of the doomsday battle.

The Trisolaran probe "Water Drop" had already entered the solar system, approaching Jupiter's orbit.

All 3000 human warships had entered first-level combat readiness, but the atmosphere,

it was not tension.

it was revelry.

Joint Fleet Headquarters. The topic senior officers were discussing was:

"After the Water Drop arrives, what kind of honor guard should we use to greet it?"

In the image,

some officers were even betting on what the Trisolarans' "negotiation representative" looked like.

Galactic Human Federation flagship.

Grand Marshal Sidney glanced at these people's faces and snorted coldly.

"3000 warships lining up to greet a 'negotiation envoy'? Do they think this is some kind of diplomatic banquet?"

The sky screen continued.

"Natural Selection" bridge.

When Zhang Beihai entered, the bridge's atmosphere was relaxed to the point of absurdity.

A few young officers whispered about the Water Drop's shape, saying things like "I heard it looks like a droplet, quite pretty."

Zhang Beihai took his stance before the command console.

He glanced at the deputy captain, Dongfang Yanxu.

She was gazing at the starry sky beyond the porthole, her face bearing the unfounded optimism of youth.

"Dongfang."

"Huh?"

"Do you believe humanity can win?"

Dongfang Yanxu laughed at the question: "Commissar Zhang, why are you suddenly asking this? Of course we can win! We have 3000 warships…"

She didn't finish her sentence.

Because the alarm on the bridge sounded.

It was not a battle alarm.

It was a system lock alarm.

"Warning, the captain's authority has been locked."

"The entire ship's power system has entered manual control mode."

Dongfang Yanxu's smile froze on her face.

"Commissar Zhang? What have you done?"

Zhang Beihai stood at the control panel, his fingers nonstop. He was entering a password sequence only he knew; on the screen, the Natural Selection's navigation orbit parameters were being altered one by one.

The destination field changed from "standby" to a string of stellar coordinates.

Outer space.

Dongfang Yanxu rushed forward in a few strides and grabbed Zhang Beihai's arm.

"Zhang Beihai! What are you doing?!"

Zhang Beihai held her hand. His hand was steady.

He lowered his head and spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear.

"Humanity is doomed. We can't fly past the water droplet, we can't move it. Three thousand warships are just scrap metal before that thing."

Dongfang Yanxu's pupils contracted sharply.

"You, you're a defeatist?"

Zhang Beihai did not deny it.

"I am."

"It's been that way since two hundred years ago."

Dongfang Yanxu's face turned pale.

The man who was known in the Space Force as the 'most steadfast victory advocate' now admitted aloud that he was a defeatist.

Two hundred years of disguise.

Two hundred years of performance.

At this moment, it was all cast off.

Zhang Beihai released her hand and turned to the ship-wide broadcast system.

He pressed the communication key.

"Natural Selection" shipwide, all channels, all compartments—his voice sounded simultaneously.

Very calm.

No impassioned speech, no hoarse shouting.

Only five words.

"Natural Selection, forward four."

……

(Which civilization does the next one want to see?)